Atomization nozzle for aerosol delivery device

ABSTRACT

The present disclosure provides aerosol delivery devices having a variety of configurations and arrangements. Some aspects of the disclosure provide aerosol delivery devices having a first pump configured to deliver a flow of air; a second pump configured to deliver a flow of liquid; and a nozzle configured to receive the flow of air and the flow of liquid and output the liquid in an atomized form.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, and moreparticularly to an aerosol delivery device which may utilize electricalpower to atomize an aerosol precursor composition for the production ofan aerosol. In various embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition,which may incorporate materials and/or components that may be made orderived from tobacco or otherwise incorporate tobacco or other plants,may include natural or synthetic components including flavorants, and/ormay include one or more medicinal components, is atomized to produce aninhalable substance for human consumption.

Description of Related Art

Many smoking devices have been proposed through the years asimprovements upon, or alternatives to, smoking products that requirecombusting tobacco for use. Many of those devices purportedly have beendesigned to provide the sensations associated with cigarette, cigar, orpipe smoking, but without delivering considerable quantities ofincomplete combustion and pyrolysis products that result from theburning of tobacco. To this end, there have been proposed numeroussmoking products, flavor generators, and medicinal inhalers that utilizeelectrical energy to vaporize or heat a volatile material, or attempt toprovide the sensations of cigarette, cigar, or pipe smoking withoutburning tobacco to a significant degree. See, for example, the variousalternative smoking articles, aerosol delivery devices, and heatgenerating sources set forth in the background art described in U.S.Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2013/0255702 to Griffith Jr. et al., and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2014/0096781 to Sears et al., which are incorporated herein by referencein their entireties. See also, for example, the various types of smokingarticles, aerosol delivery devices, and electrically powered sourcesreferenced by brand name and commercial source in U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2015/0216232 to Bless et al., which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. However, it would be desirable to provide anaerosol delivery device with enhanced functionality. In this regard, itis desirable to provide an aerosol delivery with advantageous features.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to aerosol delivery devices, methods offorming such devices, and elements of such devices. In some embodimentsof the present disclosure, an aerosol delivery device, may comprise afirst pump configured to deliver a flow of air; a second pump configuredto deliver a flow of liquid; and a nozzle configured to receive the flowof air and the flow of liquid and output the liquid in an atomized form.In some embodiments, the first pump may be selected from the groupconsisting of a micro-compressor pump, a micro-blower, a rotarymicro-pump, a diaphragm micro-pump, and a piezoceramic micro-pump. Insome embodiments, the first pump may be configured to deliver the flowof air to the nozzle at a flow rate in the range of about 1 L/min toabout 10 L/min and a pressure in the range of about 0.1 psi to about 10psi. In some embodiments, the first pump may further comprise a filtercomponent configured to reduce accumulation of particulates in the firstpump.

In some embodiments, the second pump may be selected from the groupconsisting of a centrifugal micro-pump, a ring micro-pump, a rotarymicro-pump, a diaphragm micro-pump, a peristaltic micro-pump, and a stepmicro-pump. In some embodiments, the second pump may be configured todeliver the flow of liquid to the nozzle at a flow rate in the range ofabout 0.1 mL/min to about 10 mL/min and a pressure in the range of about0.1 psi to about 10 psi. In some embodiments, the nozzle may comprise anorifice adapted to spray the atomized liquid. In some embodiments, thepressurized flow of air and the pressurized flow of liquid are mixedwithin the nozzle prior to being transferred to the orifice. In someembodiments, the pressurized flow of air and the pressurized flow of theliquid composition are separately transferred to the orifice withoutmixing within the nozzle. In some embodiments, the aerosol deliverydevice may have a fluid pressure within the nozzle in the range of about0.1 psi to about 10 psi.

In some embodiments, the nozzle may be positioned proximate to amouthpiece portion. In some embodiments, the mouthpiece portion may beconfigured to receive a flow of the atomized liquid from the nozzle andhas an opening for egress of the atomized liquid from the mouthpieceportion. In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may furthercomprise a reservoir configured to contain a liquid composition and influid communication with the second pump. In some embodiments, thereservoir may be removable or replaceable. In some embodiments, thereservoir may be permanently positioned within the aerosol deliverydevice and is configured to be refillable by a user of the device. Insome embodiments, the liquid composition may be an aerosol precursorcomposition. In some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition maycomprise one or more of a polyhydric alcohol, nicotine, tobacco, atobacco extract, or a flavorant. In some embodiments, the aerosolprecursor composition may additionally or alternatively include otheractive ingredients including, but not limited to, a nicotine component,botanical ingredients (e.g., lavender, peppermint, chamomile, basil,rosemary, ginger, cannabis, ginseng, maca, hemp, eucalyptus, rooibos,fennel, citrus, cloves, and tisanes), stimulants (e.g., caffeine andguarana), amino acids (e.g., taurine, theanine, phenylalanine, tyrosine,and tryptophan) and/or pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, medicinalingredients (e.g., vitamins, such as B6, B12, and C, and/orcannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)).In some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may compriseabout 60% or greater water by weight, based on the total weight of thewater-based aerosol precursor composition.

In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may further comprise apower source and a control component. In some embodiments, the controlcomponent may be configured to control an output flow rate of the firstpump and/or an output flow rate of the second pump. In some embodiments,the control component may be configured to control power output from thepower source to the first pump and/or the second pump. In someembodiments, the power source may be configured to provide sufficientpower to operate both the first pump and the second pump simultaneously.In some embodiments, the control component may be configured to controlthe function of any component within the aerosol delivery device,independently, or in combination with one or more other componentstherein.

In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may further comprise ahousing. In some embodiments, the first pump, the second pump, and thenozzle may be positioned within the housing. In some embodiments, theaerosol delivery device may further comprise at least one opening in thehousing for receiving air. In some embodiments, the first pump may be influid communication with the at least one opening such that air is drawninto the first pump from outside of the aerosol delivery device when thefirst pump is activated. In some embodiments, the housing may be a firstbody with a replaceable cartridge comprising at least a reservoir. Insome embodiments, the housing may be a control body and the first pump,the second pump, and the nozzle may be positioned within a replaceablecartridge. In some embodiments, the first pump, the second pump, and thenozzle may be provided in a reusable component and the reservoir may beremovable, replaceable, and/or refillable. For example, the housing maybe a control body; the first pump, the second pump, and the nozzle maybe provided in a reusable atomizing section; and the reservoir may beprovided in a replaceable and/or reusable reservoir section. In otherembodiments, the housing may be a control body including the first pump,the second pump, the nozzle, and the reservoir, wherein the reservoir isconfigured to be refillable by a user of the device. Generally, theaerosol delivery device may have a one-piece design (e.g., forming asingular body including all components of the device), a two-piecedesign (e.g., having two detachable sections), a three-piece design(e.g., having three detachable sections), or more, wherein eachdetachable section may be either reusable or replaceable.

The invention includes, without limitation, the following embodiments.

Embodiment 1: An aerosol delivery device, comprising: a first pumpconfigured to deliver a flow of air; a second pump configured to delivera flow of liquid; and a nozzle configured to receive the flow of air andthe flow of liquid and output the liquid in an atomized form.

Embodiment 2: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the first pump is selected from the group consisting of amicro-compressor pump, a micro-blower, a rotary micro-pump, a diaphragmmicro-pump, and a piezoceramic micro-pump.

Embodiment 3: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the first pump is configured to deliver the flow of air to thenozzle at a flow rate in the range of about 1 L/min to about 10 L/minand a pressure in the range of about 0.1 psi to about 10 psi.

Embodiment 4: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the first pump further comprises a filter component configuredto reduce accumulation of particulates in the first pump.

Embodiment 5: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the second pump is selected from the group consisting of acentrifugal micro-pump, a ring micro-pump, a rotary micro-pump, adiaphragm micro-pump, a peristaltic micro-pump, and a step micro-pump.

Embodiment 6: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the second pump is configured to deliver the flow of liquid tothe nozzle at a flow rate in the range of about 0.1 mL/min to about 10mL/min and a pressure in the range of about 0.1 psi to about 10 psi.

Embodiment 7: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the nozzle comprises an orifice adapted to spray the atomizedliquid.

Embodiment 8: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the pressurized flow of air and the pressurized flow of liquidare mixed within the nozzle prior to being transferred to the orifice.

Embodiment 9: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the pressurized flow of air and the pressurized flow of theliquid composition are separately transferred to the orifice withoutmixing within the nozzle.

Embodiment 10: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the fluid pressure within the nozzle is in the range of about0.1 psi to about 10 psi.

Embodiment 11: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the nozzle is positioned proximate to a mouthpiece portion.

Embodiment 12: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the mouthpiece portion is configured to receive a flow of theatomized liquid from the nozzle and has an opening for egress of theatomized liquid from the mouthpiece portion.

Embodiment 13: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,further comprising a reservoir configured to contain a liquidcomposition and in fluid communication with the second pump.

Embodiment 14: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the reservoir is removable and replaceable by a user of theaerosol delivery device.

Embodiment 15: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the reservoir is refillable by a user of the aerosol deliverydevice.

Embodiment 16: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the liquid composition is an aerosol precursor composition.

Embodiment 17: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the aerosol precursor composition comprises one or more of apolyhydric alcohol, nicotine, tobacco, a tobacco extract, a flavorant,and other active ingredients including, but not limited to, a nicotinecomponent, botanical ingredients (e.g., lavender, peppermint, chamomile,basil, rosemary, ginger, cannabis, ginseng, maca, hemp, eucalyptus,rooibos, fennel, citrus, cloves, and tisanes), stimulants (e.g.,caffeine and guarana), amino acids (e.g., taurine, theanine,phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) and/or pharmaceutical,nutraceutical, medicinal ingredients (e.g., vitamins, such as B6, B12,and C, and/or cannabinoids, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) andcannabidiol (CBD)), and combinations thereof.

Embodiment 18: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the aerosol precursor composition is water-based so as tocomprise about 60% or greater water by weight, based on the total weightof the aerosol precursor composition.

Embodiment 19: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,further comprising a power source and a control component.

Embodiment 20: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the control component is configured to control an output flowrate of one or both of the first pump and the second pump.

Embodiment 21: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the control component is configured to control the power outputfrom the power source to one or both of the first pump and the secondpump.

Embodiment 22: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the power source is configured to provide sufficient power tooperate both the first pump and the second pump simultaneously.

Embodiment 23: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,further comprising a housing.

Embodiment 24: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the first pump, the second pump, and the nozzle are positionedwithin the housing.

Embodiment 25: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,further comprising at least one opening in the housing for receivingair.

Embodiment 26: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the first pump is in fluid communication with the at least oneopening such that air is drawn into the first pump from outside of theaerosol delivery device when the first pump is activated.

Embodiment 27: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the housing is a first body with a replaceable cartridgecomprising at least a reservoir.

Embodiment 28: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the housing is a control body and the first pump, the secondpump, and the nozzle are positioned within a replaceable cartridge.

Embodiment 29: An aerosol deliver device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the housing is a control body; the first pump, the second pump,and the nozzle are positioned in a reusable atomizing section; and thereservoir is positioned in a replaceable reservoir section.

Embodiment 30: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,wherein the housing is a control body including the first pump, thesecond pump, the nozzle, and the reservoir, wherein the reservoir isconfigured to be one or more of removable, replaceable, and refillableby a user of the device.

Embodiment 31: An aerosol delivery device of any preceding embodiment,further comprising a control body, a reservoir section having areservoir positioned therein, and an atomizing section having the firstpump, the second pump, and the nozzle positioned therein.

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the disclosure willbe apparent from a reading of the following detailed descriptiontogether with the accompanying drawings, which are briefly describedbelow. The invention includes any combination of two, three, four, ormore of the above-noted embodiments as well as combinations of any two,three, four, or more features or elements set forth in this disclosure,regardless of whether such features or elements are expressly combinedin a particular embodiment description herein. This disclosure isintended to be read holistically such that any separable features orelements of the disclosed invention, in any of its various aspects orembodiments, should be viewed as combinable unless the context clearlydictates otherwise.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

In order to assist the understanding of aspects of the disclosure,reference will now be made to the appended drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale and in which like reference numerals refer tolike elements. The drawings are provided by way of example to assistunderstanding of aspects of the disclosure, and should not be construedas limiting the disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a component view of a portion of an example aerosoldelivery device including a first pump, a second pump, a nozzle, and areservoir, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a front cross-section schematic view of an exampleaerosol delivery device having a one-piece design including a reservoir,a first pump, a second pump, and a nozzle, according to an exampleembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a front cross-section schematic view of an exampleaerosol delivery device having a two-piece design including a cartridgeand a control body, wherein the cartridge and control body are shown ina de-coupled configuration, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 4 illustrates a front cross-section schematic view of an exampleaerosol delivery device having a three-piece design including a controlbody, an atomizing section, and a reservoir housing, wherein the controlbody, the atomizing section, and the reservoir housing are shown in ade-coupled configuration, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a front cross-section schematic view of an exampleaerosol delivery device having a three-piece design including a controlbody, an atomizing section, and a reservoir housing, wherein the controlbody, the atomizing section, and the reservoir housing are shown in ade-coupled configuration, according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to example embodiments thereof. These example embodiments aredescribed so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in theart. Indeed, the disclosure may be embodied in many different forms andshould not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein;rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. As used in the specification andthe appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” “the” and the likeinclude plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Also, while reference may be made herein to quantitative measures,values, geometric relationships or the like, unless otherwise stated,any one or more if not all of these may be absolute or approximate toaccount for acceptable variations that may occur, such as those due toengineering tolerances or the like. As used herein, “substantially free”refers to concentrations of a given substance of less than 1% by weightor less than 0.5% by weight or less than 0.1% by weight based on totalweight of a material.

As described hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure relateto aerosol delivery devices or vaporization devices, said terms beingused herein interchangeably. Aerosol delivery devices according to thepresent disclosure use electrical energy to vaporize a material(preferably without combusting the material to any significant degreeand/or without significant chemical alteration of the material) to forman inhalable substance; and components of such devices have the form ofarticles that most preferably are sufficiently compact to be consideredhand-held devices. That is, use of components of some aerosol deliverydevices does not result in the production of smoke—i.e., fromby-products of combustion or pyrolysis of tobacco, but rather, use ofthose preferred systems results in the production of vapors resultingfrom vaporization of an aerosol precursor composition. In some examples,components of aerosol delivery devices may be characterized aselectronic cigarettes, and those electronic cigarettes most preferablyincorporate tobacco and/or components derived from tobacco, and hencedeliver tobacco derived components in aerosol form. Other examplesinclude delivery devices for cannabinoids, such as Tetrahydrocannabinol(THC) and/or Cannabidiol (CBD), botanicals, medicinals, nutraceuticals,and/or other active ingredients.

Aerosol generating devices of certain preferred aerosol delivery devicesmay provide many of the sensations (e.g., inhalation and exhalationrituals, types of tastes or flavors, organoleptic effects, physicalfeel, use rituals, visual cues such as those provided by visibleaerosol, and the like) of smoking a cigarette, cigar, or pipe that isemployed by lighting and burning tobacco (and hence inhaling tobaccosmoke), without any substantial degree of combustion of any componentthereof. For example, the user of an aerosol generating device of thepresent disclosure can hold and use the device much like a smokeremploys a traditional type of smoking article, draw on one end of thatdevice for inhalation of aerosol produced by that device, take or drawpuffs at selected intervals of time, and the like.

Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure also may becharacterized as being vapor-producing articles or medicament deliveryarticles. Thus, such articles or devices may be adapted so as to provideone or more substances (e.g., flavors and/or pharmaceutical activeingredients) in an inhalable form or state. For example, inhalablesubstances may be substantially in the form of a vapor (i.e., asubstance that is in the gas phase at a temperature lower than itscritical point). Alternatively, inhalable substances may be in the formof an aerosol (i.e., a suspension of fine solid particles or liquiddroplets in a gas). For purposes of simplicity, the term “aerosol” asused herein is meant to include vapors, gases, and aerosols of a form ortype suitable for human inhalation, whether or not visible, and whetheror not of a form that might be considered to be smoke-like.

Aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure most preferablycomprise some combination of a power source (i.e., an electrical powersource), at least one control component (e.g., means for actuating,controlling, regulating and ceasing power for heat generation, such asby controlling electrical current flow the power source to othercomponents of the article—e.g., processing circuitry, such as maycomprise a microcontroller or microprocessor), an atomization assembly(e.g., means for aerosolizing a liquid composition, such as may compriseone or more pumps, optionally configured to provide varying flowcharacteristics, and an atomization nozzle), a reservoir configured tocontain a liquid composition (e.g., commonly an aerosol precursorcomposition liquid capable of yielding an aerosol, such as ingredientscommonly referred to as “smoke juice,” “e-liquid” and “e-juice”), and amouthpiece or mouth region for allowing draw upon the aerosol deliverydevice for aerosol inhalation (e.g., a defined airflow path through thearticle such that aerosol generated may be withdrawn therefrom upondraw).

Alignment of the components within the aerosol delivery device and/orthe configuration of the device overall may be variable. For example,the aerosol delivery device may have a one-piece design (e.g., forming asingular body including all components of the device), a two-piecedesign (e.g., having two detachable sections), a three-piece design(e.g., having three detachable sections), or more. Typically, thecomponents within each individual section and/or the arrangement ofthose components within each individual section may vary. In someembodiments, for example, various sections of the device and/orcomponents within those sections may be considered to removable,replaceable, or reusable. In specific embodiments, the aerosol precursorcomposition may be located between two opposing ends of the device(e.g., within a reservoir of a cartridge, which in certain circumstancesis replaceable, disposable, reusable, and/or refillable). Otherconfigurations, however, are not excluded. Generally, the components areconfigured relative to one another so that energy from the atomizationassembly vaporizes the aerosol precursor composition (as well as one ormore flavorants, medicaments, or the like that may likewise be providedfor delivery to a user) and forms an aerosol for delivery to the user.When the atomization assembly vaporizes the aerosol precursorcomposition, an aerosol is formed, released, or generated in a physicalform suitable for inhalation by a consumer. It should be noted that theforegoing terms are meant to be interchangeable such that reference torelease, releasing, releases, or released includes form or generate,forming or generating, forms or generates, and formed or generated.Specifically, an inhalable substance is released in the form of a vaporor aerosol or mixture thereof.

More specific formats, configurations and arrangements of componentswithin the aerosol delivery devices of the present disclosure will beevident in light of the further disclosure provided hereinafter.Additionally, the selection and arrangement of various aerosol deliverydevice components may be appreciated upon consideration of thecommercially available electronic aerosol delivery devices, such asthose representative products referenced in the background art sectionof the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 illustrates a component view of various components that may beprovided in an aerosol delivery device according to the presentdisclosure. For example, the aerosol delivery device 100 may comprise afirst pump 102 configured to deliver a flow of air at a first flow rateand pressurized at a first pressure range, a second pump 104 configuredto deliver a flow of liquid at a second flow rate and pressurized at asecond pressure range, and a nozzle 106 configured to receive the flowof air and the flow of liquid and output the liquid in an atomized form.In some embodiments, the nozzle may further comprise an orifice 108adapted to spray the atomized liquid. As depicted in FIG. 1 , theaerosol delivery device may further comprise a reservoir 110 configuredto contain a liquid composition 112 and in fluid communication with thesecond pump 104. In some embodiments, the first pump, the second pump,the nozzle, and/or the reservoir may be interconnected either directlyor indirectly to provide fluid communication between the variouscomponents, for example, as illustrated by the dashed lines in FIG. 1 .Therefore, the dashed lines are intended to represent interconnection ofvarious components which may (e.g., for indirect connection) or may not(e.g., for direct connection) require one or more additional componentsin order to facilitate the connection of various components.

FIG. 2 illustrates an aerosol delivery device having a one-piece designincluding a reservoir, a first pump, a second pump, and a nozzle,according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. In the depictedembodiment, various components of the aerosol delivery device may beprovided within an outer housing 114. For example, a first pump 102, asecond pump 104, a nozzle 106 comprising an orifice 108, and a reservoir110 configured to contain a liquid composition 112 may all be includedwithin the housing 114 of the aerosol delivery device.

In the depicted embodiment, the first pump 102 may be configured todeliver a flow of air at a first flow rate and pressurized at a firstpressure range. In some embodiments, the first pump may be in the formof an air pump or a micro-blower configured to transfer the pressurizedair to the nozzle 106. In some embodiments, the first pump 102 may beconfigured to deliver air to the nozzle 106 at a flow rate in the rangeof about 0.1 L/min to about 20 L/min, about 1 L/min to about 10 L/min,or about 3 L/min to about 6 L/min. In some embodiments, the first pumpmay be configured to deliver air to the nozzle at a flow rate of atleast about 1 L/min, at least about 5 L/min, at least about 10 L/min, atleast about 15 L/min, or at least about 20 L/min. In some embodiments,the first pump is configured to deliver air to the nozzle at a pressurein the range of about 0.1 psi to about 10 psi, about 0.5 psi to about 5psi, or about 1 psi to about 2.5 psi. In some embodiments, the firstpump may be configured to deliver air to the nozzle at a pressure of atleast about 0.1 psi, at least about 0.5 psi, at least about 1 psi, atleast about 2.5 psi, at least about 5 psi, at least about 7.5 psi, or atleast about 10 psi. It should be noted that all pressure values referredto herein are intended to define a relative pressure output (e.g., thepressure relative to ambient pressure) rather than absolute pressure.

Suitable air pumps may include, but are not limited to, amicro-compressor pump, a micro-blower, a rotary micro-pump, a diaphragmmicro-pump, and a piezoceramic micro-pump. In some embodiments, such asthe embodiment depicted in FIG. 2 , the aerosol delivery device mayfurther comprise at least one opening 116 for receiving air. In someembodiments, the first pump 102 is in fluid communication with the atleast one opening 116 such that air is drawn into the first pump 102from outside of the aerosol delivery device when the first pump 102 isactivated. Although the at least one opening 116 is illustrated as aseparate element, it is understood that additionally, or alternatively,the at least one opening may coincide with a further opening alreadypresent in the device. For example, as discussed below, the deviceincludes a cavity 126 for receiving the reservoir 110, and the at leastone opening may comprise a channel or the like extending through thedevice and opening into the cavity 116. Further, the aerosol deliverydevice may include a generally open interior space, and sufficient airintake may be available to the first pump 102 through the cavity 126opening into the generally open interior space. In some embodiments, thefirst pump 102 may further comprise a filter component 118 configured toreduce the amount of particulates that accumulate inside the first pump.In some embodiments, the first pump may be connected to the nozzle via aconduit 120 capable of transferring the pressurized flow of air from thefirst pump 102 to the nozzle 106. In some embodiments, the conduit maybe in the form of a hollow tubing or casing capable of transporting apressurized flow of air, for example. Various types of tubing orconduits may be suitable for use in aerosol delivery devices accordingto the present disclosure.

As noted above, the second pump 104 may be configured to deliver a flowof liquid at a second flow rate and pressurized at a second pressurerange. In some embodiments, the second pump 104 may be in the form of apressurized liquid pump. For example, the second pump may be configuredto deliver the liquid composition to the nozzle at a flow rate in therange of about 0.1 mL/min to about 10 mL/min, or about 0.2 to about 5mL/min, or about 0.5 to about 2 mL/min. In some embodiments, the secondpump may be configured to deliver the liquid composition to the nozzleat a flow rate of about 10 mL/min or less, about 7.5 mL/min or less,about 5 mL/min or less, about 2.5 mL/min or less, or about 1 mL/min orless. In some embodiments, the liquid pump is configured to deliver theliquid composition at a pressure in the range of about 0.1 psi to about10 psi, about 0.5 psi to about 5 psi, or about 1 psi to about 2.5 psi.in some embodiments, the liquid pump is configured to deliver the liquidcomposition at a pressure of about of about 10 psi or less, about 7.5psi or less, about 5 psi or less, about 2.5 psi or less, or about 1 psior less. Suitable liquid pumps may include, but are not limited to, acentrifugal micro-pump, a ring micro-pump, a rotary micro-pump, adiaphragm micro-pump, a peristaltic micro-pump, and a step micro-pump.In some embodiments, the second pump may be connected to the nozzle viaa first liquid transport element 122 capable of transferring thepressurized flow of air from the first pump 102 to the nozzle 106. Insome embodiments, the first liquid transport element may be in the formof a hollow tubing or casing capable of transporting a pressurized flowof liquid, for example. Various types of tubing and/or liquid transportelements may be suitable for use in aerosol delivery devices accordingto the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the second pump 104 may be in fluid communicationwith the reservoir 110 and configured to transfer a flow of the liquidcomposition 112 from the reservoir 110 to the nozzle 106. In variousembodiments, the reservoir 110 may be in fluid communication with(either directly or through one or more additional components, as notedabove with respect to FIG. 1 ) the second pump. For example, in thedepicted embodiment of FIG. 2 , the reservoir 110 is in fluidcommunication with the second pump 104 via a second liquid transportelement 124. The second liquid transport element 124 can transport theliquid composition 112 stored in the reservoir 110 to the second pump104, thus providing fluid communication between the second pump 104 andthe reservoir 110. In such a manner, the second liquid transport elementenables fluid transport between the reservoir 110 and the nozzle 106,e.g., such that the liquid composition may be conveyed from thereservoir to the nozzle. In some embodiments, the second liquidtransport element may be in the form of a hollow tubing or casingcapable of transporting a flow of the liquid composition at the requiredpressure conditions.

Various types of reservoirs may also be suitable for use in embodimentsof the present disclosure. In some embodiments, for example, the liquidreservoir may comprise an independent container (e.g., formed of wallssubstantially impermeable to the liquid composition), which, in someembodiments, may be configured to be removed, replaced, and/or refilledby a user of the device. In some embodiments, the reservoir may define asubstantially self-contained portion or section of the aerosol deliverydevice, or the reservoir may be provided as a component within thehousing of the aerosol delivery device or a portion of the aerosoldelivery device (e.g., a control unit, and atomizing section, or acartridge portion) as discussed further herein. For example, as notedabove, the aerosol delivery device may have a one-piece design (e.g.,including the reservoir within the housing of the device, or thereservoir being removably attachable to the one-piece device), atwo-piece design (e.g., including a control unit and a cartridgeportion, wherein the reservoir may be included as a component withineither), or a three-piece design (e.g., including a control unit, anatomizing section, and a reservoir housing, e.g., where the reservoir isself-contained within the reservoir housing). It should be noted thatthe configuration of the reservoir is not intended to be limiting andgenerally the reservoir may be removed, replaced, and/or refilled by auser of the device irrespective of the configuration of the overalldevice.

As depicted in FIG. 2 , in some embodiments there may be a cavity 126defined within the housing 114 of the aerosol delivery device tofacilitate removal of the liquid reservoir 110 (e.g., to facilitatereplacement of the liquid reservoir or refilling and reuse of theexisting liquid reservoir. In such embodiments, the cavity may furthercomprise a locking interface 128 which is configured to lock thereservoir 110 in place when inserted into the cavity 126 by a user ofthe aerosol delivery device. The locking interface may be configured topuncture the bottom of the reservoir in a sealed arrangement such thatthe liquid contained therein can be released to the second liquidtransport element 124 or, in some embodiments, directly to the secondpump 104. Such configurations and locking interfaces may vary and anymechanism suitable for securing the reservoir in place and providingtransfer of the liquid composition therefrom may be suitable. In someembodiments, the walls of the liquid reservoir may be flexible and/orcollapsible, while in other embodiments the walls of the liquidreservoir may be substantially rigid. In some embodiments, the liquidreservoir may be substantially sealed to prevent passage of the liquidcomposition therefrom except via any specific openings or conduitsprovided expressly for passage of the liquid composition, such asthrough one or more transport elements as otherwise described herein.For example, the reservoir 110 may include a sealing member 138configured to form a seal around the locking interface 128 to prevent orsignificantly reduce leaking of the liquid composition 112 from thereservoir after contact with the locking interface. If desired, furtherembodiments for securing the reservoir 110 into the cavity 126 are alsoencompassed. For example, the reservoir 110 and the cavity 126 may havematching screw threads, matching magnetic elements, or the like. Inother embodiments, the reservoir 110 may be contained entirely withinthe housing 114 of an aerosol delivery device having a one-piece design(not pictured. In such embodiments, the reservoir may be configured suchthat it is refillable by a user of the aerosol delivery device withoutbeing physically removed from the housing.

Other example embodiments of reservoirs and transport elements useful inaerosol delivery devices according to the present disclosure may vary,and such reservoirs and/or transport elements can be incorporated intodevices such as those described herein. In some embodiments, amicrofluidic chip may be embedded in the reservoir 110, and the amountand/or mass of liquid composition delivered from the reservoir may becontrolled by the second pump, such as one based onmicroelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology. In some embodiments,the second pump may be directly connected to the reservoir and/or thenozzle, for example, such that liquid is pumped directly from thereservoir via the second pump to the nozzle, whereby use of one or moretransport elements is not necessary. In some embodiments, the secondpump may optionally be positioned within the reservoir such that thesecond pump and the reservoir form a single component within thecartridge. Examples of suitable micropumps for use in embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be found, for example in U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/203,069, directed to Micropump for an Aerosol DeliveryDevice, filed on Nov. 28, 2018; as well as U.S. Pat. No. 10,285,451 toBless, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

As noted above, the nozzle 106 may be positioned within the housing 114of the aerosol delivery device and configured to receive the flow of air(from the first pump 102) and the flow of liquid (from the second pump104) and output the liquid in an atomized form. In the depictedembodiment of FIG. 2 , the nozzle 106 is in fluid communication with apressurized flow of air delivered from the first pump 102 and apressurized flow of the liquid composition from the second pump 104. Asnoted above, in accordance with some embodiments, the pressurized flowof air is delivered from the first pump 102 to the nozzle 106 via aconduit 120, such that the nozzle is in fluid communication with the airpump 102; and the pressurized flow of the liquid composition isdelivered from the second pump 104 to the nozzle 106 via a first liquidtransport element 122. In other embodiments, delivery of the pressurizedflow of air and/or the pressurized flow of liquid to the nozzle 106 mayoccur on demand, such as, for example, via control from a controlcomponent 132 which will be discussed further herein below. In someembodiments, nozzles as described herein may provide for mixing of theliquid composition and air either internally or externally. For example,internal mixing nozzles allow the pressurized flow of air and thepressurized flow of the liquid composition to be mixed internally(within the nozzle) prior to being transferred to the orifice. On theother hand, external mixing nozzles allow the pressurized flow of airand the pressurized flow of the liquid composition to be separatelytransferred to the orifice without mixing within the nozzle. In someembodiments the nozzle may comprise a single orifice 108 that is adaptedto spray a singular flow of atomized liquid formed from a mixture of thepressurized flow of air and the pressurized flow of the liquidcomposition, as depicted in FIG. 2 (e.g., using an internal mixingnozzle) or, in other embodiments, the orifice 108 may comprise aplurality of smaller orifices designed to spray the pressurized flow ofair and the pressurized flow of liquid separately (e.g., using anexternal mixing nozzle). In the latter configuration, for example, thenozzle may contain a center orifice designed to spray the liquidcomposition, the center orifice being surrounded by a plurality ofangular orifices designed to spray multiple pressurized flows of airdirectly in the path of the flow of the liquid composition, thus formingan aerosol. The types, sizes, and configurations of nozzles and theorifices provided therein may vary. Suitable nozzle assemblies mayinclude, for example, but are not limited to, atomizing nozzles,vaporizing nozzles, external mixing nozzles, internal mixing nozzles,and any type of nozzle suitable for atomizing a liquid composition witha flow of air. Examples of atomizing nozzles are described in U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2018/0289076 to Manca et al. and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2019/0045847 to Manca et al., both of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety. Generally, the fluid pressure within thenozzle, or immediately exiting the nozzle, will be substantially thesame as the pressurized flow of air. For example, in some embodiments,the fluid pressure within the nozzle, or immediately upon exiting thenozzle, may be in the range of about 0.1 psi to about 10 psi, about 0.5psi to about 5 psi, or about 1 psi to about 2.5 psi. In someembodiments, the fluid pressure within the nozzle may be about 10 psi orless, about 7.5 psi or less, about 5 psi or less, about 2.5 psi or less,or about 1 psi or less.

In further embodiments, the aerosol delivery device 100 may comprise apower source 130 and a control component 132. In some embodiments, thepower source may be configured to provide sufficient power to operateboth the first and second pumps and the control component at the sametime. In some embodiments, for example, the power source may beconfigured to provide sufficient power to operate both the first pumpand the second pump simultaneously while providing sufficient power toone or more flow controlling components configured to control the outputflow rate from the first and second pumps. Examples of useful powersources include lithium-ion batteries that may be rechargeable, e.g., arechargeable lithium-manganese dioxide battery. In particular, lithiumpolymer batteries can be used as such batteries can provide increasedsafety. Other types of batteries, e.g., N50-AAA CADNICA nickel-cadmiumcells, may also be used. In some embodiments, the power source maycomprise low wattage lithium-ion batteries, for example, having anenergy capacity generally in the range of about 500 mAh to about 3000mAh and a voltage in the range of about 3 V to about 5 V. Additionally,a power source may be sufficiently lightweight to not detract from adesirable smoking experience. Some examples of possible power suppliesare described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,484,155 to Peckerar et al. and U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0112191 to Sur et al., filedOct. 21, 2015, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their respective entireties.

In some embodiments, the power source, for example, may include areplaceable battery or a rechargeable battery, lithium-ion battery,solid-state battery, thin-film solid-state battery, rechargeablesupercapacitor or the like, and thus may be combined with any type ofrecharging technology. For example, in some embodiments, the housing mayinclude any of a number of different terminals, electrical connectors orthe like to connect to a suitable charger, and in some examples, toconnect to other peripherals for communication. More specific suitableexamples include direct current (DC) connectors such as cylindricalconnectors, cigarette lighter connectors and USB connectors includingthose specified by USB 1.x (e.g., Type A, Type B), USB 2.0 and itsupdates and additions (e.g., Mini A, Mini B, Mini AB, Micro A, Micro B,Micro AB) and USB 3.x (e.g., Type A, Type B, Micro B, Micro AB, Type C),proprietary connectors such as Apple's Lightning connector, and thelike. The housing may directly connect with the charger or otherperipheral, or the two may connect via an appropriate cable that alsohas suitable connectors. In examples in which the two are connected bycable, the housing and charger or other peripheral may have the same ordifferent type of connector with the cable having the one type ofconnector or both types of connectors.

In examples involving induction-powered charging, the aerosol deliverydevice may be equipped with inductive wireless charging technology andinclude an induction receiver to connect with a wireless charger,charging pad or the like that includes an induction transmitter and usesinductive wireless charging (including for example, wireless chargingaccording to the Qi wireless charging standard from the Wireless PowerConsortium (WPC)). Or the power source may be recharged from a wirelessradio frequency (RF) based charger. An example of an inductive wirelesscharging system is described in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2017/0112196 toSur et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Further, in some embodiments in the case of an electronic cigarette, thecartridge may comprise a single-use cartridge, as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 8,910,639 to Chang et al., which is incorporated herein byreference.

One or more connections may be employed to connect the power source to arecharging technology, and some may involve a charging case, cradle,dock, sleeve or the like. More specifically, for example, the controlbody may be configured to engage a cradle that includes a USB connectorto connect to a power supply. Or in another example, the housing may beconfigured to fit within and engage a sleeve that includes a USBconnector to connect to a power supply. In these and similar examples,the USB connector may connect directly to the power source, or the USBconnector may connect to the power source via a suitable power adapter.

It should be noted that one or more control components providing varyingfunctions may be used in the disclosed aerosol delivery devices as willbe discussed herein. In some embodiments, the one or more controlcomponents may control activation/deactivation of one or both of thefirst pump and the second pump, and/or control the flow rate exiting oneor both of the first pump and the second pump. In the depictedembodiment of FIG. 2 , for example, the aerosol delivery devicecomprises a control component that is configured to control an outputflow rate of the first pump and an output flow rate of the second pump.In some embodiments, the control component may further be configured tocontrol the power output from the power source to operate the first andthe second pumps. In some embodiments, the power source, the controlcomponent, and the first and second liquid pumps are in electricalcommunication, for example, as depicted by the dashed lines in FIG. 2 .In some embodiments, one or more additional components may be includedwithin the housing, such as a flow sensor, flow controllers, additionalcontrol components, activation mechanisms, and the like.

In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may include multiplecontrol components that individually, or in combination, control thefunctionality of specific components within the aerosol delivery deviceas noted above. A suitable control component may include a number ofelectronic components, and in some examples may be formed of a printedcircuit board (PCB). In some examples, the electronic components includeprocessing circuitry configured to perform data processing, applicationexecution, or other processing, control or management services accordingto one or more example embodiments. The processing circuitry may includea processor embodied in a variety of forms such as at least oneprocessor core, microprocessor, coprocessor, controller, microcontrolleror various other computing or processing devices including one or moreintegrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specificintegrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), somecombination thereof, or the like. In some examples, the processingcircuitry may include memory coupled to or integrated with theprocessor, and which may store data, computer program instructionsexecutable by the processor, some combination thereof, or the like.

In some example embodiments, the control component may include one ormore input/output peripherals, which may be coupled to or integratedwith the processing circuitry. More particularly, the control componentmay include a communication interface to enable wireless communicationwith one or more networks, computing devices or otherappropriately-enabled devices. Examples of suitable communicationinterfaces are disclosed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2016/0261020 toMarion et al., the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.Another example of a suitable communication interface is the CC3200single chip wireless microcontroller unit (MCU) from Texas Instruments.In some embodiments, for example, the aerosol delivery device may beconfigured to send information to an electronic device via Near FieldCommunication (NFC) or Bluetooth technology. Additional examples ofsuitable manners according to which the aerosol delivery device may beconfigured to wirelessly communicate are disclosed in U.S. Pat. App.Pub. No. 2016/0007651 to Ampolini et al., and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No.2016/0219933 to Henry, Jr. et al., each of which is incorporated hereinby reference. For example, the aerosol delivery device also maycommunicate with a computer or other device acting as an input viawireless communication. In such embodiments, an APP or other computerprogram may be used in connection with a computer, mobile device, orother computing device to input control instructions to the aerosoldelivery device, such control instructions including, for example, theability to deliver a desired total particulate matter (TPM) provided perpuff, vary the duration and/or strength of aerosol produced per puff,amount of nicotine delivered per puff, and/or one or more different puffcharacteristics. Such puff characteristics may be controllable by a userof the aerosol delivery device, for example, via programmable usersettings. In some embodiments, for example, the pressurized flow of airexiting the first pump and/or the pressurized flow of liquid exiting thesecond pump may be controlled by the control component (based on one orboth of exit flow rate and exit pressure) based on the desired puffcharacteristics to be delivered to a user. In embodiments where theaerosol delivery device is a puff-actuated device, for example, asdiscussed further herein, the one or both of the pressure value and theflow rate at which air and/or liquid is delivered to the nozzle from thepumps may be controlled based on user puff characteristics, e.g., thepressure value may vary proportionally to the duration and/or strengthof puff, such as may be determined by the magnitude of pressure dropwhen a user draws on the device.

In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may comprise an inputelement 140 to allow a user to control one or more functions of thedevice (e.g., as described herein above) and or to provide foractivation/deactivation of the sleeve. Any component or combination ofcomponents may be utilized as the input element for controlling thefunction of the aerosol delivery device. For example, one or morepushbuttons may be used as described in U.S. Pub. No. 2015/0245658 toWorm et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Likewise, atouchscreen may be used as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/643,626, filed Mar. 10, 2015, to Sears et al., which is incorporatedherein by reference. As a further example, components adapted forgesture recognition based on specified movements of the temperatureregulating sleeve may be used as an input. See U.S. Pub. 2016/0158782 toHenry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference. Various othercomponents are also contemplated, particularly those suitable for usewith aerosol delivery devices, and such components may be incorporatedinto the present disclosure as discussed more fully herein.

In some embodiments, the aerosol delivery device may further comprise amouthpiece portion 134 within the outer housing 114. For example, insome embodiments the nozzle 106 may be in fluid communication with themouthpiece portion 134 such that the atomized liquid produced by thenozzle enters the mouthpiece portion. In some embodiments, the nozzle106 may be positioned proximate to the mouthpiece portion 134 such thatthe output of atomized liquid from the nozzle is immediately transferredto the mouthpiece portion. For example, the atomized liquid may bewhisked, aspirated, sprayed, or otherwise drawn away from the orifice108 of the nozzle 106 and out an opening 136 in the mouthpiece portion134 configured for egress of the atomized liquid therefrom. Otherconfigurations of mouthpiece portions are intended to be contemplatedbased on this disclosure, for example, such that there is an additionalchamber or tubular void between the nozzle and the mouthpiece portion,or a section to provide cooling, or further a section to provideadditional flavorings. The mouthpiece portion 134 may be configured as aspecifically shaped portion of the outer housing 114 and may bepermanently attached thereto, in some embodiments. Alternatively, themouthpiece portion 134 may be a detachable member that is removably andreplaceably attachable to the outer housing 114.

As noted above, the reservoir 110 is configured to contain a liquidcomposition 112. In some embodiments, the liquid composition 112 may bein the form of an aerosol precursor composition. Suitable aerosolprecursor compositions may include, but are not limited to, one or moreof a polyhydric alcohol, nicotine, tobacco, a tobacco extract, aflavorant, and other active ingredients. Example aerosol formingmaterials include polyhydric alcohols (e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol,and triethylene glycol) and/or water, and any other materials whichyield a visible aerosol, as well as any combinations thereof.Representative types of aerosol forming materials are set forth in U.S.Pat. No. 4,793,365 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; and U.S. Pat. No.5,101,839 to Jakob et al.; PCT Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 98/57556 to Biggset al.; and Chemical and Biological Studies on New Cigarette Prototypesthat Heat Instead of Burn Tobacco, R. J. Reynolds Tobacco CompanyMonograph (1988); which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety. Other representative types of aerosol precursor components andformulations are also set forth and characterized in U.S. Pat. No.7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al.,and U.S. Pat. No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al.; and U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos.2013/0008457 to Zheng et al.; 2015/0020823 to Lipowicz et al.; and2015/0020830 to Koller, as well as WO 2014/182736 to Bowen et al, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. Other aerosol precursors that may be employed include theaerosol precursors that have been incorporated in VUSE® products by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company, the BLU™ products by Fontem Ventures B. V.,the MISTIC MENTHOL product by Mistic Ecigs, MARK TEN products by Nu MarkLLC, the JUUL product by Juul Labs, Inc., and VYPE products by BritishAmerican Tobacco. Also desirable are the so-called “smoke juices” forelectronic cigarettes that have been available from Johnson CreekEnterprises LLC. Still further example aerosol precursor compositionsare sold under the brand names BLACK NOTE, COSMIC FOG, THE MILKMANE-LIQUID, FIVE PAWNS, THE VAPOR CHEF, VAPE WILD, BOOSTED, THE STEAMFACTORY, MECH SAUCE, CASEY JONES MAINLINE RESERVE, MITTEN VAPORS, DR.CRIMMY'S V-LIQUID, SMILEY E LIQUID, BEANTOWN VAPOR, CUTTWOOD, CYCLOPSVAPOR, SICBOY, GOOD LIFE VAPOR, TELEOS, PINUP VAPORS, SPACE JAM, MT.BAKER VAPOR, and JIMMY THE JUICE MAN. Embodiments of effervescentmaterials can be used with the aerosol precursor composition, and aredescribed, by way of example, in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2012/0055494 toHunt et al., which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Further, the use of effervescent materials is described, for example, inU.S. Pat. No. 4,639,368 to Niazi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,878 toWehling et al.; U.S. Pat. No. to Wehling et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,974,590to Pather et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,667 to Bergquist et al.; U.S. Pat.No. 8,424,541 to Crawford et al; U.S. Pat. No. 8,627,828 to Stricklandet al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 9,307,787 to Sun et al.; as well as U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2010/0018539 to Brinkley et al. and PCT WO 97/06786 toJohnson et al., all of which are incorporated by reference herein intheir entireties. Additional description with respect to embodiments ofaerosol precursor compositions, including description of tobacco orcomponents derived from tobacco included therein, is provided in U.S.Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2018/0020722 and 2018/0020723, each to Davis et al.,which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

As noted above, the aerosol precursor composition may additionally oralternatively include other active ingredients including, but notlimited to, a nicotine component, botanical ingredients (e.g., lavender,peppermint, chamomile, basil, rosemary, ginger, cannabis, ginseng, maca,hemp, eucalyptus, rooibos, fennel, citrus, cloves, and tisanes),stimulants (e.g., caffeine and guarana), amino acids (e.g., taurine,theanine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan) and/orpharmaceutical, nutraceutical, medicinal ingredients (e.g., vitamins,such as B6, B12, and C, and/or cannabinoids, such astetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD)), and combinationsthereof.

In some embodiments, the aerosol precursor composition may include oneor more acids such as levulinic acid, succinic acid, lactic acid,pyruvic acid, benzoic acid, fumaric acid, combinations thereof, and thelike. Inclusion of an acid(s) in liquid aerosol precursor compositionsincluding nicotine may provide a protonated liquid aerosol precursorcomposition, including nicotine in salt form. Representative types ofliquid aerosol precursor components and formulations are set forth andcharacterized in U.S. Pat. No. 7,726,320 to Robinson et al., U.S. Pat.No. 9,254,002 to Chong et al., and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2013/0008457to Zheng et al., 2015/0020823 to Lipowicz et al., and 2015/0020830 toKoller, as well as PCT Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 2014/182736 to Bowen etal., and U.S. Pat. No. 8,881,737 to Collett et al., the disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference.

As noted above, in some embodiments the aerosol precursor compositioncomprises a glycerol-based liquid. In other embodiments, however, theaerosol precursor composition may be a water-based liquid. Suchwater-based liquids may be referred to as “water-based aerosol precursorcompositions,” “aerosol precursor compositions,” and/or “water-basedliquids” and generally include any ingredients discussed herein above inreference to aerosol precursor compositions. In some embodiments, theaerosol precursor composition may be comprised of more thanapproximately 60% water. For example, in some embodiments about 60% orgreater water by weight, or about 65% or greater water by weight, orabout 70% or greater water by weight, or about 75% or greater water byweight, or about 80% or greater water by weight, or about 85% or greaterwater by weight, or about 90% or greater water by weight, based on thetotal weight of the water-based aerosol precursor composition. In someembodiments, the water-based liquid may include up to approximately 10%propylene glycol. For example, in some embodiments the percentage ofpropylene glycol in the water-based liquid may be in the inclusive rangeof approximately 4% to approximately 5%. In some embodiments, thewater-based liquid may include up to approximately 10% flavorant. Forexample, in some embodiments the percentage of flavorant(s) of thewater-based liquid may be in the inclusive range of approximately 3% toapproximately 7%. In some implementations, the water-based liquid mayinclude up to approximately 1% nicotine. For example, in someembodiments the percentage nicotine in the water-based liquid may be inthe inclusive range of approximately 0.1% to approximately 0.3%. In someembodiments, the water-based liquid may include up to approximately 10%cyclodextrin. For example, in some embodiments the percentagecyclodextrin in the water-based liquid may be in the inclusive range ofapproximately 3% to 5%. In still other embodiments, the aerosolprecursor composition may be a combination of a glycerol-based liquidand a water-based liquid. For example, some embodiments may include upto approximately 50% water and less than approximately 20% glycerol. Theremaining components may include one or more of propylene glycol,flavorants, nicotine, cyclodextrin, etc. Some examples of water-basedliquid compositions that may be suitable are disclosed in GB 1817863.2,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolisable Formulation; GB 1817864.0,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolisable Formulation; GB 1817867.3,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolisable Formulation; GB 1817865.7,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolisable Formulation; GB 1817859.0,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolisable Formulation; GB 1817866.5,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolisable Formulation; GB 1817861.6,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Gel and Crystalline Powder; GB 1817862.4,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolisable Formulation; GB 1817868.1,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolised Formulation; and GB 1817860.8,filed Nov. 1, 2018, titled Aerosolised Formulation, each of which isincorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

As noted above, in various embodiments the liquid composition 112 mayalso include a flavorant. In some embodiments, the flavorant may bepre-mixed with the liquid. In other embodiments, the flavorant may bedelivered separately downstream from the nozzle as a main or secondaryflavor. Still other embodiments may combine a pre-mixed flavorant with adownstream flavorant. As used herein, reference to a “flavorant” refersto compounds or components that can be aerosolized and delivered to auser and which impart a sensory experience in terms of taste and/oraroma. Example flavorants include, but are not limited to, vanillin,ethyl vanillin, cream, tea, coffee, fruit (e.g., apple, cherry,strawberry, peach and citrus flavors, including lime, lemon, mango, andother citrus flavors), maple, menthol, mint, peppermint, spearmint,wintergreen, nutmeg, clove, lavender, cardamom, ginger, honey, anise,sage, rosemary, hibiscus, rose hip, yerba mate, guayusa, honeybush,rooibos, amaretto, mojito, yerba santa, ginseng, chamomile, turmeric,bacopa monniera, gingko biloba, withania somnifera, cinnamon,sandalwood, jasmine, cascarilla, cocoa, licorice, terpenes, trigeminalsensates and flavorings and flavor packages of the type and charactertraditionally used for the flavoring of cigarette, cigar, and pipetobaccos. Other examples include flavorants derived from, or simulating,burley, oriental tobacco, flue cured tobacco, etc. Syrups, such as highfructose corn syrup, also can be employed. Example plant-derivedcompositions that may be suitable are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.9,107,453 and U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2012/0152265 both to Dube et al.,the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties. The selection of such further components are variable basedupon factors such as the sensory characteristics that are desired forthe smoking article, and the present disclosure is intended to encompassany such further components that are readily apparent to those skilledin the art of tobacco and tobacco-related or tobacco-derived products.See, e.g., Gutcho, Tobacco Flavoring Substances and Methods, Noyes DataCorp. (1972) and Leffingwell et al., Tobacco Flavoring for SmokingProducts (1972), the disclosures of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entireties. It should be noted that reference to aflavorant should not be limited to any single flavorant as describedabove, and may, in fact, represent a combination of one or moreflavorants.

As noted above, in some embodiments the aerosol delivery device may havea multi-piece design, such as a two-piece design (e.g., as depicted inFIG. 3 ) or a three-piece design (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 4 ). In suchembodiments, the reservoir may be positioned within a distinct sectionof the device (e.g., the control body or the cartridge portion asdepicted in FIG. 3 ), or such that the reservoir is substantiallyself-contained within a separate reservoir housing that is removablycoupleable to one or more other sections of the aerosol delivery device,as depicted in FIG. 4 ).

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of an aerosol delivery device having atwo-piece design including a control body and a cartridge in the case ofan aerosol delivery device. In this regard, FIG. 3 illustrates anaerosol delivery device 200 according to an example embodiment of thepresent disclosure having a two-piece design, for example. As indicated,the aerosol delivery device may include a control body 202 and acartridge 204. The control body and the cartridge can be permanently ordetachably aligned in a functioning relationship. In this regard, anaerosol delivery device may be provided in a coupled configuration (notshown), whereas FIG. 3 illustrates a partially cut-away side view of theaerosol delivery device in a decoupled configuration. The aerosoldelivery device may, for example, be substantially rod-like,substantially tubular shaped, or substantially cylindrically shaped insome implementations when the control body and the cartridge are in anassembled configuration. However various other configurations areintended to be contemplated in the present disclosure, for example,configurations with a substantially modular or pod-like shape (e.g., thecontrol body 202 may be configured to have a receiving chamber intowhich a portion of the cartridge 204 may be received to form a workingconnection).

As depicted in FIG. 3 , the control body 202 and the cartridge 204 canbe configured to engage one another by a variety of connections, such asa press fit (or interference fit) connection, a threaded connection, amagnetic connection, or the like. As such, the control body may includea first engaging element (e.g., a coupler) that is adapted to engage asecond engaging element (e.g., a connector) on the cartridge. The firstengaging element and the second engaging element may be reversible. Asan example, either of the first engaging element or the second engagingelement may be a male thread, and the other may be a female thread. As afurther example, either the first engaging element or the secondengaging element may be a magnet, and the other may be a metal or amatching magnet. In particular implementations, engaging elements may bedefined directly by existing components of the control body and thecartridge. For example, the housing of the control body may define acavity at an end thereof that is configured to receive at least aportion of the cartridge (e.g., a storage tank or other shell-formingelement of the cartridge). In particular, a storage tank of thecartridge may be at least partially received within the cavity of thecontrol body while a mouthpiece of the cartridge remains exposed outsideof the cavity of the control body. The cartridge may be retained withinthe cavity formed by the control body housing, such as by aninterference fit (e.g., through use of detents and/or other featurescreating an interference engagement between an outer surface of thecartridge and an interior surface of a wall forming the control bodycavity), by a magnetic engagement (e.g., though use of magnets and/ormagnetic metals positioned within the cavity of the control body andpositioned on the cartridge), or by other suitable techniques.

As seen in the cut-away view illustrated in FIG. 3 , the control body202 and cartridge 204 may each include a number of respectivecomponents. The components illustrated in FIG. 3 are representative ofthe components that may be present in a control body and cartridge andare not intended to limit the scope of components that are encompassedby the present disclosure or to require the use of any specificcomponents in various embodiments as described herein. As shown, forexample, the control body can be formed of a housing 206 (sometimesreferred to as a control body shell) that can include a controlcomponent 208 (e.g., processing circuitry, etc.), a flow sensor 210, apower source 212 (e.g., battery, supercapacitor), and an indicator 214(e.g., LED, quantum dot-based LED), and such components can be variablyaligned. The power source may be rechargeable, and the control componentmay include a switch and processing circuitry coupled to the flow sensorand the switch. The processing circuitry may be configured to determinea difference between measurements of atmospheric air pressure from theflow sensor, and a reference atmospheric air pressure. In someimplementations, the flow sensor is an absolute pressure sensor.

As noted above, in some embodiments the aerosol delivery device maycomprise a power source, such as a battery, that is positioned withinthe housing of the control body. Any suitable power source as describedherein above with respect to FIG. 2 may be suitable for use in suchembodiments. In some embodiments, the power source may also comprise acapacitor. Capacitors are capable of discharging more quickly thanbatteries and can be charged between puffs, allowing the battery todischarge into the capacitor at a lower rate than if it were used topower the two or more separate components at one time. For example, asupercapacitor—e.g., an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC)—may beused separate from or in combination with a battery. When used alone,the supercapacitor may be recharged before each use of the article.Thus, the device may also include a charger component that can beattached to the smoking article between uses to replenish thesupercapacitor.

Further components may be utilized in the aerosol delivery device of thepresent disclosure. For example, the aerosol delivery device may includea flow sensor that is sensitive either to pressure changes or air flowchanges as the consumer draws on the article (e.g., a puff-actuatedswitch). Other possible current actuation/deactuation mechanisms mayinclude a temperature actuated on/off switch or a lip pressure actuatedswitch. An example mechanism that can provide such puff-actuationcapability includes a Model 163PC01D36 silicon sensor, manufactured bythe MicroSwitch division of Honeywell, Inc., Freeport, Ill.Representative flow sensors, current regulating components, and othercurrent controlling components including various microcontrollers,sensors, and switches for aerosol delivery devices are described in U.S.Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,922,901, 4,947,874,and 4,947,875, all to Brooks et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,148 toMcCafferty et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 to Fleischhauer et al., U.S.Pat. No. 7,040,314 to Nguyen et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,622 to Pan,all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.Reference is also made to the control schemes described in U.S. Pat. No.9,423,152 to Ampolini et al., which is incorporated herein by referencein its entirety.

In another example, an aerosol delivery device may comprise a firstconductive surface configured to contact a first body part of a userholding the device, and a second conductive surface, conductivelyisolated from the first conductive surface, configured to contact asecond body part of the user. As such, when the aerosol delivery devicedetects a change in conductivity between the first conductive surfaceand the second conductive surface, a vaporizer is activated to vaporizea substance so that the vapors may be inhaled by the user holding unit.The first body part and the second body part may be a lip or parts of ahand(s). The two conductive surfaces may also be used to charge abattery contained in the personal vaporizer unit. The two conductivesurfaces may also form, or be part of, a connector that may be used tooutput data stored in a memory. Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No.9,861,773 to Terry et al., which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

Yet other components are also contemplated, particularly those suitablefor use with aerosol delivery devices may be incorporated into thepresent disclosure. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,192 to Sprinkel etal. discloses indicators for smoking articles; U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,424to Sprinkel, Jr. discloses piezoelectric sensors that can be associatedwith the mouth-end of a device to detect user lip activity associatedwith taking a draw and then trigger heating of a heating device; U.S.Pat. No. 5,372,148 to McCafferty et al. discloses a puff sensor forcontrolling energy flow into a heating load array in response topressure drop through a mouthpiece; U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,148 to Harris etal. discloses receptacles in a smoking device that include an identifierthat detects a non-uniformity in infrared transmissivity of an insertedcomponent and a controller that executes a detection routine as thecomponent is inserted into the receptacle; U.S. Pat. No. 6,040,560 toFleischhauer et al. describes a defined executable power cycle withmultiple differential phases; U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,289 to Watkins et al.discloses photonic-optronic components; U.S. Pat. No. 5,954,979 toCounts et al. discloses means for altering draw resistance through asmoking device; U.S. Pat. No. 6,803,545 to Blake et al. disclosesspecific battery configurations for use in smoking devices; U.S. Pat.No. 7,293,565 to Griffen et al. discloses various charging systems foruse with smoking devices; U.S. Pat. No. 8,402,976 to Fernando et al.discloses computer interfacing means for smoking devices to facilitatecharging and allow computer control of the device; U.S. Pat. No.8,689,804 to Fernando et al. discloses identification systems forsmoking devices; and PCT Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 2010/003480 by Flickdiscloses a fluid flow sensing system indicative of a puff in an aerosolgenerating system; all of the foregoing disclosures being incorporatedherein by reference.

Further examples of components related to electronic aerosol deliveryarticles and disclosing materials or components that may be used in thepresent device include U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,217 to Gerth et al.; U.S.Pat. No. 5,249,586 to Morgan et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,977 to Higginset al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,176 to Adams et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,287to White; U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,218 to Voges; U.S. Pat. No. 6,810,883 toFelter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,461 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No.7,832,410 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 7,513,253 to Kobayashi; U.S. Pat. No.7,896,006 to Hamano; U.S. Pat. No. 6,772,756 to Shayan; U.S. Pat. Nos.8,156,944 and 8,375,957 to Hon; U.S. Pat. No. 8,794,231 to Thorens etal.; U.S. Pat. No. 8,851,083 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,915,254and 8,925,555 to Monsees et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 9,220,302 to DePiano etal.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub. Nos. 2006/0196518 and 2009/0188490 to Hon; U.S.Pat. App. Pub. No. 2010/0024834 to Oglesby et al.; U.S. Pat. App. Pub.No. 2010/0307518 to Wang; PCT Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 2010/091593 to Hon;and PCT Pat. App. Pub. No. WO 2013/089551 to Foo, each of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Further, U.S. Pat.App. Pub. No. 2017/0099877 to Worm et al., filed Oct. 13, 2015,discloses capsules that may be included in aerosol delivery devices andfob-shape configurations for aerosol delivery devices, and isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A variety of thematerials disclosed by the foregoing documents may be incorporated intothe present devices in various embodiments, and all of the foregoingdisclosures are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

As noted in FIG. 3 , in this depicted embodiment the cartridge 204 canbe formed of a housing 216 (sometimes referred to as the cartridgeshell) enclosing a reservoir 218 configured to retain a liquidcomposition, and including a first pump 220 a, a second pump 220 b, anda nozzle 220 c. Examples of suitable reservoir, pumps, and nozzles foruse in the depicted embodiment are described herein above with respectto the embodiments depicted in FIG. 2 . 1 and 2. However, as depicted inFIG. 3 , the reservoir 218 may be permanently positioned within thehousing 216 of the cartridge portion 204. In such embodiments, thereservoir may be configured such that it is refillable by a user of theaerosol delivery device without being physically removed from thehousing. Optionally, some embodiments may provide for an aerosoldelivery device that is disposable or wherein a portion (e.g., such asthe cartridge portion) of the aerosol delivery device is disposableand/or replaceable.

As shown, in the depicted embodiment, the reservoir, the first pump, thesecond pump, and/or the nozzle may be interconnected either directly orindirectly as depicted by the dashed lines 222 and as described hereinabove with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2 . Further, in some embodiments, amouthpiece portion 224 having an opening may be present in the housing216 (e.g., at the mouth end of the cartridge) to allow for egress of theatomized liquid from the mouthpiece portion 224. The cartridge 204 alsomay include one or more flow controlling components 226, which mayinclude an integrated circuit, a control component, a flow sensor, orthe like. The one or more flow controlling components may be adapted tocommunicate with one or more of the control component 208, the flowsensor 210, the power source 212, the first pump 220 a, and the secondpump 220 b. The one or more flow controlling components may bepositioned anywhere within the cartridge or a base 228 thereof. The oneor more flow controlling components, as noted above, may be configuredto control the output flow rate from the first pump 220 a and the secondpump 220 b. Any suitable control component capable of controlling theflow rate and/or the pressure output of the pressurized flow of air orthe pressurized flow of liquid exiting the pumps, such as any of thosementioned herein above, may be suitable for use in aerosol deliverydevices according to the present disclosure.

The control body 202 and the cartridge 204 may include componentsadapted to facilitate a fluid engagement therebetween. As illustrated inFIG. 3 , the control body can include a coupler 230 having a cavity 232therein. The base 228 of the cartridge can be adapted to engage thecoupler and can include a projection 234 adapted to fit within thecavity. Such engagement can facilitate a stable connection between thecontrol body and the cartridge as well as establish an electricalconnection between the power source 212 and control component 208 in thecontrol body and the one or more flow controlling components 226 and thefirst pump 220 a and the second pump 220 b in the cartridge. Further,the housing 206 can include an air intake 236, which may be a notch inthe housing where it connects to the coupler that allows for passage ofambient air around the coupler and into the housing where it then passesthrough the cavity 232 of the coupler and into the cartridge through theprojection 234. For example, when a user draws upon the mouth end of theaerosol delivery device or when the first pump 220 a is engaged to forceair into the aerosol delivery device, this suction force causes ambientair to enter the air intake 236 and pass through the cavity 232 in thecoupler 230 and the central opening in the projection 234 of the base228. In the nozzle 220 c, the drawn air combines with a liquidcomposition to form an atomized liquid. The atomized liquid is whisked,aspirated, sprayed, or otherwise drawn away from the nozzle 220 c andout the opening in the mouthpiece portion 224 of the aerosol deliverydevice.

A coupler and a base useful according to the present disclosure aredescribed in U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2014/0261495 to Novak et al., whichis incorporated herein by reference. For example, the coupler 230 asseen in FIG. 3 may define an outer periphery 238 configured to mate withan inner periphery 240 of the base 228. In one example the innerperiphery of the base may define a radius that is substantially equalto, or slightly greater than, a radius of the outer periphery of thecoupler. Further, the coupler may define one or more protrusions 242 atthe outer periphery configured to engage one or more recesses 244defined at the inner periphery of the base. However, various otherexamples of structures, shapes and components may be employed to couplethe base to the coupler. In some examples the connection between thebase of the cartridge 204 and the coupler of the control body 202 may besubstantially permanent, whereas in other examples the connectiontherebetween may be releasable such that, for example, the control bodymay be reused with one or more additional cartridges that may bedisposable and/or refillable. For further detail regarding embodimentsof an aerosol delivery device including a control body and a cartridgein the case of an electronic cigarette, see the above-cited U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/836,086 to Sur; and U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/916,834 to Sur et al.; as well as U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/916,696 to Sur, filed Mar. 9, 2018, which is also incorporatedherein by reference.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate an aerosol delivery device having a three-piecedesign, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosurehaving a three-piece design. As indicated, the aerosol delivery device300 may include a control body 302, an atomizing section 304, and areservoir section 306. The control body, the atomizing section, and thereservoir section can be permanently or detachably aligned in afunctioning relationship, for example, as described above with respectto the attachment of the control body and the cartridge in FIG. 3 . Forexample, the control body, the atomizing section, and the reservoirsections may engage one another by a variety of connections, such as apress fit (or interference fit) connection, a threaded connection, amagnetic connection, or the like. In some embodiments, the control bodymay include a first engaging element (e.g., a coupler) that is adaptedto engage a second engaging element (e.g., a connector) on the atomizinghousing, and the atomizing housing may include a third engaging element(e.g., a coupler) that is adapted to engage a fourth engaging element(e.g., a connector) on the reservoir housing. The engagement mechanismbetween, and/or the configuration and arrangement of, the control body,the atomizing section, and the reservoir section may vary. Generally,the control body 302 and the atomizing section 304 may each include anumber of respective components therein. In some embodiments, thecontrol body 302 may include a housing 310 which can include any numberof components illustrated in the control body of FIG. 3 , for example, acontrol component (e.g., processing circuitry, etc.), a flow sensor, apower source (e.g., battery, supercapacitor), and an indicator (e.g.,LED, quantum dot-based LED), and such components can be variablyaligned.

As noted in FIGS. 4 and 5 , in the depicted embodiments the atomizingsection 304 can be formed of a housing 320 (sometimes referred to as theatomizer housing) enclosing a first pump 322 a, a second pump 322 b, anda nozzle 322 c. Examples of suitable pumps and nozzles for use in thedepicted embodiments are described herein above with respect to theembodiments depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , insome embodiments, the first pump, the second pump, and/or the nozzle maybe interconnected either directly or indirectly as depicted by thedashed lines 324 and as described herein above with respect to FIGS. 1and 2 . Further, in some embodiments, an opening 326 may be present inthe atomizer housing 320 (e.g., proximate to the reservoir section 306)to allow for egress of the atomized liquid from the atomizer section 304to the reservoir section 306, when variably aligned. In otherembodiments, a valve, gate, or other mechanical component may be used inplace of the opening 326 so as to allow for egress of the atomizedliquid from the atomizing section 304 to the reservoir section 306, whenvariably aligned and coupled together. Other configurations, however,may be possible.

Generally, it should be noted that any of the representative components,arrangements, features, and/or configurations mentioned herein abovewith reference to the aerosol delivery device of FIG. 3 may, likewise,be incorporated in various capacities into the aerosol delivery devicesas illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 . For example, the atomizing section 304also may include one or more flow controlling components 328 which mayinclude an integrated circuit, a control component, a flow sensor, orthe like. In some embodiments, the one or more flow controlling 328components may be adapted to communicate with a control component, forexample, in the control body 302. For example, the one or more flowcontrolling components, as noted above, may be configured to control theoutput flow rate from the first pump 322 a and the second pump 322 b.Any suitable control component capable of controlling the flow rateand/or the pressure output of the pressurized flow of air or thepressurized flow of liquid exiting the pumps, such as any of thosementioned herein above, may be suitable for use in aerosol deliverydevices according to the present disclosure.

In some embodiments, the reservoir section 306 may be formed of areservoir housing 330, which includes a reservoir 332 contained therein.The embodiments depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 , for example, provide aconfiguration wherein a reservoir 332 is completely self-containedwithin a separate portion of the aerosol delivery device, e.g., in thereservoir housing 330. Advantageously, the depicted embodiment allowsfor the control body 302 and the atomizing section 304, and thecomponents thereof, to be reusable by a user of the aerosol deliverydevice. For example, as depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the reservoirhousing 306 may be removably coupleable to the atomizing section, suchthat the reservoir housing can be easily removed and replaced. Otherconfigurations, however, may be possible. In some embodiments, thereservoir housing may also be entirely reusable, for example, thereservoir housing may be removed, refilled by a user of the device, andthen reused. Generally, the reservoir 332 may be interconnected with thesecond pump 322 b either directly or indirectly when the atomizingsection 304 and the reservoir section 306 are coupled together, e.g., asdepicted by the dashed lines 334 and as described herein above withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 2 .

As depicted in FIG. 4 , in some embodiments the reservoir section 306includes a channel 336 configured for the passage of an aerosoltherethrough. In such embodiments, the channel 336 may be variablyaligned with the opening 326 in the atomizer housing 320. In thedepicted embodiment in FIG. 4 , the reservoir section includes anopening 338 in the reservoir housing 330 configured for egress of anaerosol therethrough. In some embodiments, the opening 338 may bevariably aligned with the channel 336 and/or the opening 326 in theatomizer housing 320. In other embodiments, the channel may not bepresent, for example, as depicted in FIG. 5 , there may be one or morevoids 340 (e.g., a cavity or open space allowing for air flow and/oraerosol passage therethrough) between the reservoir 332 and thereservoir housing 330 within the reservoir section configured to allowfor flow of the aerosol around the reservoir 332 positioned therein.Such configurations allow for the flow of an aerosol generated in theatomizing section 304 through the reservoir section 306 and to a user ofthe aerosol delivery device via the opening 338 in the reservoir housing330.

Many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure will cometo mind to one skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertainshaving the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoingdescriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to beunderstood that the disclosure is not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed herein and that modifications and otherembodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appendedclaims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in ageneric and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

1. An aerosol delivery device, comprising: a first pump configured todeliver a flow of air; a second pump configured to deliver a flow ofliquid; and a nozzle configured to receive the flow of air and the flowof liquid and output the liquid in an atomized form.
 2. The aerosoldelivery device of claim 1, wherein the first pump is selected from thegroup consisting of a micro-compressor pump, a micro-blower, a rotarymicro-pump, a diaphragm micro-pump, and a piezoceramic micro-pump. 3.The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the first pump isconfigured to deliver the flow of air to the nozzle at a flow rate inthe range of about 1 L/min to about 10 L/min and a pressure in the rangeof about 0.1 psi to about 10 psi.
 4. The aerosol delivery device ofclaim 1, wherein the first pump further comprises a filter componentconfigured to reduce accumulation of particulates in the first pump. 5.The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the second pump isselected from the group consisting of a centrifugal micro-pump, a ringmicro-pump, a rotary micro-pump, a diaphragm micro-pump, a peristalticmicro-pump, and a step micro-pump.
 6. The aerosol delivery device ofclaim 1, wherein the second pump is configured to deliver the flow ofliquid to the nozzle at a flow rate in the range of about 0.1 mL/min toabout 10 mL/min and a pressure in the range of about 0.1 psi to about 10psi.
 7. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the nozzlecomprises an orifice adapted to spray the atomized liquid.
 8. Theaerosol delivery device of claim 7, wherein the flow of air and the flowof liquid are mixed within the nozzle prior to being transferred to theorifice.
 9. The aerosol delivery device of claim 7, wherein the flow ofair and the flow of liquid are separately transferred to the orificewithout mixing within the nozzle.
 10. The aerosol delivery device ofclaim 1, wherein a fluid pressure within the nozzle is in the range ofabout 0.1 psi to about 10 psi.
 11. The aerosol delivery device of claim1, wherein the nozzle is positioned proximate to a mouthpiece portion.12. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, wherein the mouthpieceportion is configured to receive a flow of the atomized liquid from thenozzle and has an opening for egress of the atomized liquid from themouthpiece portion.
 13. The aerosol delivery device of claim 1, furthercomprising a reservoir configured to contain a liquid composition and influid communication with the second pump.
 14. The aerosol deliverydevice of claim 13, wherein the reservoir is removable and replaceableby a user of the aerosol delivery device.
 15. The aerosol deliverydevice of claim 13, wherein the reservoir is refillable by a user of theaerosol delivery device.
 16. The aerosol delivery device of claim 13,wherein the liquid composition is an aerosol precursor composition. 17.The aerosol delivery device of claim 16, wherein the aerosol precursorcomposition comprises one or more of a polyhydric alcohol, tobacco, atobacco extract, a flavorant, a nicotine component, botanicals,nutraceuticals, stimulants, amino acids, vitamins, cannabinoids, andcombinations thereof.
 18. The aerosol delivery device of claim 16,wherein the aerosol precursor composition is water-based so as tocomprise about 60% or greater water by weight, based on the total weightof the aerosol precursor composition.
 19. The aerosol delivery device ofclaim 1, further comprising a power source and a control component. 20.The aerosol delivery device of claim 19, wherein the control componentis configured to control one or both of an output flow rate of the firstpump and an output flow rate of the second pump. 21.-29. (canceled)